The association of mCIMT with brain stimulation improves clinical gains in rehabilitation after stroke. The improvement in motor recovery (assessed by Fugl-Meyer scale) was only observed after anodal tDCS. The modulation of damaged hemisphere demonstrated greater improvements than the modulation of unaffected hemispheres.
Mental practice can induce significant neural plasticity and result in motor performance improvement if associated with motor imagery tasks. Given the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on neuroplasticity, the current study tested whether tDCS, using different electrode montages, can increase the neuroplastic effects of mental imagery on motor learning. Eighteen healthy right-handed adults underwent a randomised sham-controlled crossover experiment to receive mental training combined with either sham or active anodal tDCS of the right primary motor cortex (M1), right supplementary motor area, right premotor area, right cerebellum or left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Motor performance was assessed by a blinded rater using: non-dominant handwriting time and legibility, and mentally trained task at baseline (pre) and immediately after (post) mental practice combined with tDCS. Active tDCS significantly enhances the motor-imagery-induced improvement in motor function as compared with sham tDCS. There was a specific effect for the site of stimulation such that effects were only observed after M1 and DLPFC stimulation during mental practice. These findings provide new insights into motor imagery training and point out that two cortical targets (M1 and DLPFC) are significantly associated with the neuroplastic effects of mental imagery on motor learning. Further studies should explore a similar paradigm in patients with brain lesions.
| This study aimed to longitudinally evaluate the functional performance of infants affected by Congenital Zika Syndrome (CZS). A study was carried out with infants from the Laboratório de Estudos em Pediatria of the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and the Aliança de Mães e Famílias Raras, aged between 6 and 24 months, of both genders. The
objective: Conduct a systematic review to investigate whether healthy elderly have deficits in the decision-making process when compared to the young. Methods: We performed a systematic search on SciELO, Lilacs, PsycINFO, Scopus and PubMed database with keywords decision making and aging (according to the description of Mesh terms) at least 10 years. results: We found nine studies from different countries, who investigated 441 young and 377 elderly. All studies used the IOWA Gambling Task as a way of benchmarking the process of decision making. The analysis showed that 78% of the articles did not have significant differences between groups. However, 100% of the studies that assessed learning did find relevant differences. Furthermore, studies that observed the behavior of individuals in the face of losses and gains, 60% of articles showed that the elderly has more disadvantageous choices throughout the task. Conclusion: The consulted literature showed no consensus on the existence of differences in performance of the decision-making process between old and young, but it is observed that the elderly has deficits in learning and a tendency to fewer advantageous choices. rESUMo objetivo: Realizar uma revisão sistemática para investigar se idosos saudáveis apresentam disfunções no processo de tomada de decisão quando comparados a jovens. Métodos: Foi realizada uma busca sistemática nas bases de dados SciELO, Lilacs, PsycINFO, Scopus e PubMed, com as palavras-chave decision making and aging (de acordo com a descrição dos termos Mesh) dos últimos 10 anos. resultados: Foram encontrados nove estudos de diferentes países, que investigaram 441 jovens e 377 idosos. Como resultado, observou-se que 78% dos artigos não encontram diferenças significativas entre os grupos. Porém, 100% dos estudos que avaliaram o aprendizado encontram diferenças significativas. Além disso, dos estudos que observaram o comportamento dos indivíduos perante as perdas e ganhos, 60% mostraram que os idosos apresentam mais escolhas desvantajosas ao longo do teste. Conclusão: Os artigos avaliados não apresentaram um consenso em relação à existência de diferenças no processo de tomada de decisão entre idosos e jovens, porém observa-se que os idosos apresentam dificuldade no aprendizado e tendência a escolhas menos vantajosas.
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